Going Nowhere - 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Z16

The tale of a clone Z16 Chevelle convertible that is pampered like it's the real thing

Feature Article from Hemmings Muscle Machines

Whether aesthetic or financial, or some combination therein, appreciation is the name of the game when it comes to muscle cars. Several schools of thought pervade the scene currently: The first is that it's only a car, cars are meant to be driven, the driving experience is the pleasure to be had in ownership, and let's go for a ride. The second takes rather the opposite tack: that a given car is rare because it's the only tri-carb four-speed model painted orange with drum brakes, cloth interior, an 8-track and the light group, it's been restored to like-new condition, and it shouldn't be used, lest it lose that like-new luster and become just another used car. As such, it functions more as furniture than as an automobile.

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There are inherent issues with both of these options. If you've dropped three hundred grand on a car, immaculately restored or no, do you want to take the chance of something puking on the road, or someone hitting you, or kicking up dust on your $20,000 paint job? On the other hand, what is the point of having a car if you're not going to drive it? And surely anyone who has the six figures to pay for a muscle car can afford to get it spruced back up again after a cruise. Investors see people driving muscle cars and see their own investments going up. Drivers see trailer queens languishing and wonder why they bother. Those who like to drive resent the dollars being pushed up into the stratosphere; aesthetes look at drivers and calculate how high their return on investment will be. Both camps have their points, and both are convinced they're right.
To split the difference, let's send in the clones. Their popularity has boomed to such a degree in recent years that people don't even bother hiding their mixed parentage anymore. Hoods, stripes, wheels, grilles, interior bits and, of course, the mechanicals may come from a number of other sources. They have the look, many specific trim parts are easily obtained through a number of catalog sources, they have the rumble, and they have the attitude. They have everything except a V.I.N. that matches the mountain of metal under the hood and the price tag that such factory originality generates. You can drive 'em like you hate 'em and it won't matter, because they're as fast as (or faster than) the real thing, but cost (and are valued at) a fraction of the price. But to be snooty about it, clones lack pedigree-which will eventually matter, primarily at resale time. The parts may all be there, but they weren't born there. In many cases, the result is cheerfully admitted to be a clone. Still, the curtains do not match the carpet.
Occasionally, there is no choice but to build a clone if you really want a particular car. There is a fine line between rare and nonexistent. The 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertible? Rare. A holy grail of sorts, for muscle car fans in general, Mopar nuts in particular. But there are still ten of 'em out there wheeling around. Well, ten or eleven real ones, anyway, if you've got the seven figures to secure your name on the title. There are plenty more clones out there, and even they are going for six figures now. Still, real ones are merely rare, not unobtainable.
As for the nonexistent ones, try a '65 Chevelle Z16 convertible. Or should we say, the Z16 convertible. We know the basics behind the Z16-built as a high-profile showcase for the new street version of the Mark IV "Mystery Motor" that would be available throughout the Chevy line in a couple of short years, driveline beefed up to handle the extra power-and we won't tell the story again here. Two hundred coupes were built, a bunch of which ended up in high-profile hands to stoke the promotional fires. And there was also one convertible.
You can't buy it-not a real Z16 Chevelle convertible, anyway. The one that Chevy built dropped off the face of the earth eons ago, presumably crushed. The only way to get one is to buy or build a clone.
So Jim Schaefer did. Thing is, it's so nice he's treating it like it's a real one. Oh, he's very up front about this being a clone, so deception isn't the issue. But the 30 or so miles to get to our photo location in Phoenix seemed insurmountable. In fact, the shoot almost didn't happen because he didn't want to put the top down for pictures-he didn't want to wrinkle it. Ink, the great convincer, finally convinced him to drop the top.
The angst may well be justified. It is flawless-possibly the cleanest, freshest muscle car your author has ever photographed, let alone driven (and broken...more on that later). Obviously, it has a convertible frame-it's a convertible. (Hardtops got the beefier ragtop rails as well.) From there, extra body mounts were added, as per the factory. An L37-code 375hp 396 and a '65-vintage Muncie four-speed swiped from the world of Corvettes were pressed into service. Power steering and brakes are no great shakes, even for a '65 model, though the Impala-sourced 11-inch drum brakes were a big bonus on the mid-size Chevelle, and the 15:1 ratio meant a measure of flingability not seen in other models of its size. The inclusion of 6-inch steel wheels, up an inch from the puny standard-issue 14 x 5s, bode well for both traction and handling prowess, as did the heavy-duty suspension, with a 1.06-inch front sway bar, a stabilizer bar between the rear lower control arms, and stiffer springs. All of this adds up to tremendous driveability, which seems utterly at odds with the owner-builder's policy of minimal time spent behind the wheel.
From the limited color palette available to the Z16, Jim went with Regal Red, with a red interior. The hubcaps (an option on 1966-68 SS models), proper Firestone gold-line tires, and the AM/FM Multiplex radio were not a big deal to source; the 160-mph speedometer, Z16-specific trim, and remote mirror were tougher finds. And, since Z16s were generally loaded from the factory, Jim threw in a tilt steering column, wood wheel, power windows, and vacuum trunk release to boot. There are even proper underhood inspection marks to convey that fresh-from-the-factory feeling. He even stuck with an open 3.31:1 rear gear ratio for absolute authenticity.
Funny thing is, he was perfectly content with the 1964 SS he had. "This was in the mid-Nineties. I was going to restore my '64 SS because it had factory air," Jim reports, "but I got rid of it and decided to do my dream Z16 clone instead."
What he got was a bone-dry shell, and not much else. "The engine and trans were missing-nothing under the hood was there at all. The rear quarters needed to be replaced too, but it was a solid body otherwise-though sitting in the Arizona sun, there was a lot of dry rot going on."
From there, Jim blew his small-block soft-top apart and sent everything to the appropriate authorities. Bodywork and paint fell to Orlando's Body Shop in Mesa, Arizona; after bead-blasting the body and replacing the rear quarters, they applied four coats of Sikkens Regal Red base and then six coats of clear, which was in turn wet-sanded in four steps between 1000- and 2000-grit papers.
Oliver Papp in Phoenix handled the mechanical issues with the first-year Rat, which included installing a litany of more modern components: A .060 overbored out to 408 cubes, with a corresponding set of forged, domed TRW pistons, clocks in at 10.8:1 compression (down slightly from the 11:1 stock); a hydraulic Summit cam with .520/.520 lift and 290 degrees' duration, and stainless Manley 2.19/1.84 valves in the heads clock in for the parts check. (The crank and rods were forged Chevy factory pieces and were left alone.) A Holley 3310 four-barrel (780cfm) sits atop a correct aluminum Chevy intake. The exhaust manifolds are actually 1966 pieces tweaked to fit (but we won't tell if you won't). Even the ignition remains the points-type: No sneaky electronic conversions going on here. The Muncie four-speed was rebuilt to stock specs, save for a Centerforce clutch.
Jim credits Mark Meekins of North Carolina with "tech support and parts location," and Bob Adams in Phoenix with final assembly and detail.
So what's it like to drive? We went for a very brief spin. As a matter of courtesy, I didn't rev it beyond four grand, but the brevity of the drive came down to two reasons: First, it was after dark as I drove it, and the desert gets chilly at night, especially with the top down; and second, a cotter pin on the accelerator linkage was missing, and yes, another car experienced mechanical failure with your author behind the wheel. The truth of the matter is, it was strong-plenty of power on the straight-ahead and doubtless more on tap if I'd gone that route ("It runs better now that it's broken in!" boasts Jim)-but the quick steering and agile suspension were let down by the pairing of corpse-numb steering feel and bias-ply rubber that seemed particularly wobbly and wandery on the straight-ahead when treated to desert crosswinds.
There were some other issues that had yet to be resolved at the time I drove it-the rear window switches were installed upside down, the lights went out completely when you hit the bright button on the floor (Jim blames a faulty pair of T3s for that scary bit of travel), the signal wouldn't self-cancel, despite a properly operating cam, and required yanking out the steering column to completely fix. No big deal, any of this.
The missing cotter pin on the throttle linkage, stranding us in the desert a dozen miles from civilization, on a road with no emergency phones, no houses and no traffic, was slightly more problematic. A system was improvised to get everyone home, but...yikes.
"But I haven't had the top down since the shoot-that's the only time it's been down," says Jim. "When I put it back up, the wrinkles all came out, and I haven't had the heart to take the top back down since. I've never even opened up the vent windows." If he would change one thing, it would be a more modern set of street rubber, but then it wouldn't be Sixties-authentic if it wore that-and anyway, what does driveability matter in a car that is rarely driven?
And as far as that financial appreciation..."I've thought about selling, since real ones are going for big money now, but the clones have been disappointing. I saw one at Barrett-Jackson in January, and it went for only $40,900. A real one with a full restoration sold for $140K, though it didn't have any historical significance, like Hoss's quarter-million-dollar car. A lot has to do with the luck of the draw at these auctions, and I wasn't a gambler to take it out there to see."
So, Jim, what's your advice to someone who wants to take on a task like this one? Though he insists he loves his, he simply says, "Don't. Restore a regular SS instead." Hmmm. Is that the frustration and expense of a four-year slow-burn build talking, or is he warding off potential competition on the auction block? If our gut is to be trusted, we can say this with some certainty: Jim Schaefer's Z16 Chevelle convertible clone isn't going anywhere.
OWNER'S VIEW
It's everything I ever wanted to do-I wanted something no one else had, and I did it. But I did it so nicely that I'm afraid to drive it. Even the day of the photo shoot, driving from Scottsdale to the location out in the desert, I was afraid I'd get a nick. Then you have to deal with the paint. It's wonderful Sikkens paint, and I spent tons on the paint job, so I thought, if something happens, will it match? Will entire panels have to be redone? If I get a ding in the windshield, they can replace the glass, but then will they screw up the chrome? All these worries on my head.
Once the engine was broken in, it screamed. As long as I put in two cans of octane boost with every tank of gas, it runs fine. I'll drive it to the gas station once in a while, and once a week I'll drive it around the neighborhood. I drive it like I'm a grandpa on a Sunday afternoon. I'll get to the point where I'll retire, show it, trailer it, and run it from show to show. Right now, it's just there to be looked at.
PROS
o Big-block grunt
o Immaculate fit and finish
o Top-down attitude perfect for Phoenix
CONS
o Will never be worth what a real one is
o Would be cooler if it was driven more
o Minor assembly niggles at the time of our drive (mostly long since fixed)
Clubs
ACES
American Chevelle Enthusiasts Society
4636 Lebanon Pike
Suite 195
Nashville, Tennessee 37076-1316
615-773-ACES
SPECIFICATIONS
Year: 1965
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Chevelle Z16
Redline: 6,500
PRICE
Base price: $4,091 (coupe)
Options on car profiled: Z16 option, $1,501 (clone)
ENGINE
Type: OHV V-8, iron block and heads
Displacement: 408 cubic inches
Bore x Stroke: 4.154 inches x 3.76 inches
Compression ratio: 10.8:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 375 @ 5,600
Torque @ rpm: 420-lbs.ft. @ 3,600
Valvetrain: Hydraulic valve lifters
Main bearings: 5
Fuel system: Single Holley 3310 four-barrel carburetor
Lubrication system: Pressure, high-volume TRW gear-type pump
Electrical system: 12-volt
Exhaust system: Dual exhaust
TRANSMISSION
Type: Muncie M-20 aluminum case four-speed manual
Ratios 1st: 2.56:1
2nd: 1.91:1
3rd: 1.48:1
4th: 1.00:1
Reverse: 2.64:1
DIFFERENTIAL
Type: GM 10-bolt housing, semi-floating hypoid type
Ratio: 3.31:1
STEERING
Type: Saginaw recirculating ball, power assist
Ratio: 15:1
Turns, lock-to-lock: 5.5
Turning circle: 41.9 feet
BRAKES
Type: Hydraulic, 4-wheel drum, power assisted
Front: 11-inch drum
Rear: 11-inch drum
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction: Body on chassis
Frame: Steel perimeter type
Body style: Two-door convertible
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
SUSPENSION
Front: Independent, unequal-length A-arms; coil springs; telescoping shock absorbers; 1.06-inch sway bar
Rear: Upper and reinforced lower control arms; coil springs; telescoping shock absorbers
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: Factory steel
Front: 14 x 6
Rear: 14 x 6
Tires: Tubeless Firestone Gold Line bias-ply
Front: 7.75 x 14
Rear: 7.75 x 14
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase: 115 inches
Overall length: 196.6 inches
Overall width: 74.6 inches
Overall height: 52.8 inches
Front track: 58 inches
Rear track: 58 inches
Shipping weight: 3,565 pounds
CAPACITIES
Crankcase: 6 quarts
Cooling system: 20 quarts
Fuel tank: 21.5 gallons
Transmission: 2.5 pints
Rear axle: 4.0 pints
CALCULATED DATA
Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.946
Weight per bhp: 9.506 pounds
Weight per c.i.d.: 9.00 pounds
PRODUCTION
Chevrolet produced 201 Z16 Chevelles in 1965; one of these was a convertible. This is not that car.
PERFORMANCE
Acceleration:
0-60 mph: 6.0 seconds
1/4 mile ET: 14.66 seconds @ 99.8 mph
Top speed: N/A

This article originally appeared in the June, 2005 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.